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As the days get longer and warmer, more open-air events are being organized in Paris. There’s something for everyone!
As summer approaches, Paris unveils a cameo of colours as flamboyant as those of Matisse's works, to discover (until 29 May 2023) in the major exhibition Matisse in the 1930s at the Musée de l’Orangerie. The Musée Jacquemart-André presents an important exhibition on the Italian artist Giovanni Bellini, father of the Venetian school and great master of colour (until 17 July 2023). At the Musée d’Orsay, a blockbuster exhibition features two great artists, Manet-Degas, a close-knit duo who also worked at odds with each other in their work …until 23 July 2023.
Book your tickets for the exhibition Matisse in the 1930s
Book your tickets for the exhibition Giovanni Bellini
Book your tickets for the Manet / Degas exhibition at the Musée d'Orsay
The Centre Pompidou pays tribute to Germaine Richier, the first female sculptor to be exhibited at the Musée National d'Art Moderne in 1956. A new retrospective, to see until 12 June 2023. At the Petit Palais, an exhibition devoted to Sarah Bernhardt, an actress, as well as an artist and sculptor, also underlines women's creativity. The Musée Picasso is showing the works of the American feminist artist Faith Ringgold, on the occasion of a major retrospective (until 2 July 2023).Head to the north of Paris, to the Grande Halle de la Villette, to discover the amazing exhibition Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs and its priceless treasures. From June 2023, the Musée du Louvre invites the Neapolitan Museum of Capodimonte and hosts some sixty of its greatest masterpieces (Caravaggio, Masaccio, Giovanni Bellini, Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian, etc.) in the Grande Galerie, the Salle de la Chapelle and the Salle de l’Horloge. In the run-up to the summer, this exclusive joint event between the two museums is not to be missed.
Book your tickets for the exhibition Faith Ringgold
Book your tickets for the exhibition Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs
At the Château de Chantilly, the exhibition Ingres, the artist and his princes - until 1st October 2023 - brings together for the first time the works of the artist commissioned or collected by the Orléans family, its main patron.
Right in the heart of the Marais, Lafayette Anticipations offers artist Pol Taburet, one of the revelations of the young French scene, his very first monographic exhibition in an institution. The show features paintings that question interiority and reveal phantasmagorical visions. (from 21 June to 3 September 2023).
In the west of Paris, the Swiss painter Marc-Antoine Fehr is invited to enter into a dialogue with the works of Claude Monet at the Musée Mamottan Monet: the exhibition Monet / Fehr. A Bridge, A Field, A Country without end runs until 25 June 2023. The Musée du Luxembourg also invites visitors to rediscover Monet through the lens of his forgotten brother, with the exhibition Léon Monet. Brother of the artist and collector (until 16 July 2023).
Another big art-related event : the Semaine du dessin from 18 to 23 May 2023, when many venues in Paris and Ile-de-France put the spotlight on drawing. Other not-to-miss event: Drawing Now Art Fair, the contemporary drawing show, at the Carreau du Temple (from 8 to 11 May 2023). Under the magnificent glass roof, some 70 galleries exhibit more than 2,000 works.
Another art fair is Révélations, the International Biennial of Crafts and Creation, taking place from 9 to 12 June 2023 at the Grand Palais Ephémère.
Spring is also that time of year when visitors can peek inside some of the artists’ studios located in different districts of Paris. One weekend a year, usually in May or June, many of the studios hold open days. You can visit some of them at Pré Saint-Gervais, Belleville and Père-Lachaise.
Emerging young European photographers are celebrated at the 104, in the 19th arrondissement, where the festival Circulation(s) presents its another edition from 25 March to 21 May 2023. The works of 30 photographers of 15 different nationalities are displayed over more than 2,000 m² of exhibition space.
In June, the cinema takes centre stage in Paris, when the 12th edition of the Champs-Elysées Film Festival takes place from 20 to 27 June 2023. The festival screens a selection of French and American independent films in different cinemas on the avenue des Champs-Elysées and organizes exclusive rooftop evenings overlooking the Arc de Triomphe.
European Museums Night 2023 is happening on 13 May. Participating museums offer an exceptional late-night opening, free of charge, inviting visitors to discover their collections and exhibitions in a different light and at a different pace. A variety of events and fun activities are also organized. The last few editions have seen the emergence of new digital formats that are both interesting and original.
In June, all eyes are on contemporary art in Paris!
For the first time in 20 years, the Nuit Blanche is shifting to summertime. From now on, the event will take place on the first weekend in June. This year too, the City of Light will turn to contemporary artists, as soon as the sun goes down, and unveil a nocturnal itinerary full of surprises: monumental works, light installations, sensory experiences, concerts ... It will be a long night! The next edition takes place on the night of 3 to 4 June 2023, and the guest of honour is none other than … the Seine
In May and June each year there are many festivals to enjoy in the open air in Paris. The Parc de la Villette with its grassy areas and renowned concert venues like the Cabaret Sauvage, the Philharmonie de Paris, the Zenith or The Trabendo – welcome the Villette Sonique festival in May, after the 2022 edition was cancelled. With a cutting-edge programming and open-air concerts, this music event brings a taste of summer. On the other side of Paris, the festival Solidays is slated to be back at the Longchamp racecourse from 23 to 25 June 2023. As well as featuring concerts, food trucks and many special events, the festival has been raising awareness about the fight against AIDS for more than 20 years. Parisians and others who appreciate its good music and high spirits will be thrilled at the return of this festival!
The pro-environment festival We Love Green has already revealed the name of its headline act, the famous French rapper Lomepal. Many other artists are expected to perform on the stages set up in the Bois de Vincennes between Friday 2 June and Sunday 4 June 2023.
More information on outdoor Parisian festivals
For music-lovers who prefer opera, or the simply curious, Tous à l’Opéra (let’s all go to the opera) is a fantastic opportunity to discover opera. In Paris, free events are organized from 5 to 7 May 2023 as part of World Opera Day.
Moving on to a different genre, the Stade de France will be rocking in May, when more than 1,000 amateur musicians (including guitarists, bass guitarists, drummers, and keyboard players) and singers will take to the stage to perform cover versions of top rock classics at the Rockin’1000 festival.
A craving for History? Relive the glory of the reign of Louis XIV via the The Musical Fountains Show at Versailles. This sound and light show has illuminated the gardens of the palace for the last 350 years! From April to October.
The unmissable highly popular Fête de la Musique event takes place every year on 21 June! Musical performances and concerts by professional and amateur instrumentalists and singers take place until late into the night and dawn.
On 3, 5 and 5 June 2023, the gardens of Paris will be looking their best for the ‘Rendez-vous aux jardins’ event. The theme of this year’s edition is music in the park.
On 31 May to 4 June 2023, the Tuileries Gardens host the annual ‘Jardins, Jardin’ garden fair, during which visitors can admire and be inspired by a dozen gardens created by professional landscape designers.
Interested in nature, the environment and well-being? Check out two trade fairs being held in Paris: ‘Survival Expo - Autonomy & Outdoor’ from 09 to 11 June 2023 at Paris Event Center, and ‘Naturally’ from 3 to 6 June 2023 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.
Springtime is a flourishing time for trade fairs in Paris! The ‘salon de la Pâtisserie’, the honorary president of which is none other than world-famous French pastry chef Pierre Hermé, takes place in June 2023 at the Paris Expo - Porte de Versailles. The other key event in this season’s gastronomy calendar is the ‘Taste of Paris’ trade fair, at the Grand Palais Ephémère from 11 to 14 May 2023, which will see more than fifty chefs and pastry chefs taking part.
The traditional go-to event in this category is the ‘Foire de Paris’ (Paris Fair), which is back at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles until 8 May 2023. This hugely popular event showcases thousands of innovative objects in the featured themes of gastronomy, home decoration, world cultures, and leisure activities.
As temperatures rise and the days lengthen, outdoor sports and sporting activities are organized more frequently all over the city. It’s also an opportunity to attend some of the major sporting events of the year.
23 June is Olympic and Paralympic Day. More than just a sporting event, it aims to promote the Olympic values using the three themes ‘move’, ‘learn’, and ‘discover’. Multiple sporting activities are organized for sportspeople and the general public.
The urban race ‘Pop In Paris’, exclusively for women, comes to the French capital on 24 June 2023. A one-of-a-kind experience in an 8-hour race, to do in pairs in the heart of Paris, interspersed with some thirty new challenges to be met by the participants.
On 24 and 25 June 2023, the Garmin Paris Triathlon challenge is open to all – beginners and experts alike. On the programme: swimming, cycling and running. On your marks, get set, go. On a different note, the Prix de Diane Longines (sometimes called the French Oaks) returns to the Chantilly racecourse on in June 2023.
Football fans in general, and fans of Paris Saint-Germain (France’s most successful club) in particular, never miss a match at the Parc des Princes stadium. PSG are playing the Championnat de France de la Ligue 1 Uber Eats there until 3 June 2023.
The Paris International Tournament (TIP) sees more than 2,000 sportspeople from all over the world coming together to take part in nearly 30 sports disciplines across some thirty venues. The overarching aim of the event is to combat homophobia and discrimination. Open to all, the TIP advocates for a respectful and tolerant practice of sport. This year’s edition runs from 26 to 28 May 2023.
One of the major tournaments in the tennis season, the French Open (or Roland Garros as it’s called in France) has been part of France’s cultural heritage since it was established in 1925. This year it’s taking place from 22 May to 11 June 2023 (from 28 May for the qualifying draw) at the famous Porte d’Auteuil stadium. A ticket for the French Open guarantees you’ll see the most exciting matches played by the world’s top players. Björn Borg, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Yannick Noah, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Serena Williams are among the legendary winners of this unique tournament which each year attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators.
For the first time in the history of esport, Paris welcomes the Final of the Major Counter-Strike, one of the world’s biggest gaming tournaments. Top professional players will compete with one another at the Accor Arena on 21 May 2023, following a tournament that will take place in France, from 8 May 2023. More than a competition, the Major Counter-Strike is a spectacle that attracts tens of thousands of players every year, thousands of spectators at the venue, and several hundred million television viewers.
Spring in Paris promises to be full of unforgettable concerts!
Former singer of the band Genesis, Peter Gabriel, is back in France for a single concert date at the Accor Arena, on 23 May 2023. Also at the Accor Arena, - M- (Mathieu Chedid) will captivate audiences with his airy, whimsical pop rock tunes on 1, 2 and 3 June 2023. Elton John, a music icon, will be looking back on his 50-year career on 21, 27 and 28 June 2023 as part of his farewell tour. A historic show that promises to be rich in emotions.
The Stade de France is also hosting major concert events: Depeche Mode on 24 June 2023, and Mylène Farmer on 30 June and 1 July 2023. And on 6 May 2923, the famous rapper Soprano will set kids and adults dancing.
The year 2023 also marks the return to the stage of the singer Renaud, who will be performing in three major Parisian venues: the Scala on 9 and 10 May 2023, the Casino de Paris on 26 and 27 May 2023, and Olympia on 30 and 31 May 2023.
Other musical giants performing at La Défense Arena : Bruce Springteen on 13 and 15 May 2023, Harry Styles on 1st and 2nd June 2023, Stromae on 16 & 17 June 2023, Pink on 20 & 21 June 2023, M.Pokora on 10 June 2023, et Maroon Five on 29 June 2023.
A number of shows remain on the bill in Paris through May and June 2023, including Olivier Giraud’s hilarious one-man show How to become a Parisian in one hour, which you can see at the Théâtre des Nouveautés until 30 December 2023. Fans of musicals have until 06 May 2023 to enjoy The Lion King at the Théâtre Mogador. And families can flock to the Bormann circus’s big top in Paris’s 15th arrondissement for their show Voyage dans le Temps (A journey through time), on wednesdays and weekends (every day except Monday during school holidays).
The world’s most famous love story, that of Romeo and Juliet, will be performed at the Opéra Bastille from 14 June 2023. Also at the Bastille, La Bohème by Puccini in an interstellar version, signed Claus Guth (until 4 June 2023).
A private tour of the 19th century rooms with their masterpieces is included, as is a glass of champagne in the presence of ‘Violetta’. Réservation et tenue de soirée obligatoires. From 13 May 2023, and on 3, 16 and 24 June 2023.
Continuing with the lyrical repertoire, Opera a Palazzo offers 80 privileged guests the opportunity to discover an adaptation of Verdi's Traviata in the magnificent reception rooms of the Musée-Jacquemart André. This exceptional and intimate evening starts at 8.30pm. The guests are close to the artists. A private tour of the 19th century rooms with their masterpieces is included, as is a glass of champagne in the presence of 'Violetta'. Reservations and evening wear are required. From 13 May 2023, and on 3, 16 and 24 June 20
In a completely different style, Breaking the waves, inspired by the eponymous film by Lars Von Trier, demonstrates the vitality of contemporary opera. A creation by Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek, from 28 to 31 May 2023, at the Opéra Comique. The warmth of the first summer evenings is combined with the bewitching tempos of the finest dance performances. From 21 to 25 June 2023, the Grande Halle de la Villette resonates to the rhythm of Flamenco. And the Théâtre du Châtelet throws the spotlight on the legend of tango Carlos Gardel, in the musical show Tango Gardel, from 15 to 28 June 2023.
